Category: living healthy

Joylato is a perhaps one of the most interesting ice cream shops in Reykjavik. The ice cream is frozen with liquid nitrogen, everything is organic or locally sourced and almost everything sold is also available vegan. There are no additives, no corn syrup or refined sugar and no binding agents. It’s pretty much as healthy as ice cream can get. Joylato is located both on Njálsgata 1, central Reykajvik, and on Laufbrekka 30, Kópavogur. The staff at Joylato makes just about everything from scratch, or as much as they can. The flavourings for the ice cream, the vegan base (from coconut, cashews or other). The dairy comes straight from a farm in West Iceland.

The ice cream is blended and frozen to order. There are seven flavourings, in addition there’s a special that changes every week (one in winter, two – three in summer). The ice cream shop is completely gluten free. There’s a wafer that comes with the ice cream, which is gluten free, you can also get gluten free waffles. It’s a nice place to come and sit down for a cup of something warm if you’re not in the mood for ice cream. There’s latte, tea, cocoa (which is available dairy free made from their own nut milk), and more.

Faces of spiritual leaders decorate Joylato

Joylato is owned and run by Pranava Rúnar Gígja and is inspired by the ideals of spiritual leader Sri Chinmoy. Pictures of him and other spiritual leaders decorate the shop. According to Rúnar Sri Chinmoy spoke highly of ice cream and said that it brought out happiness in people, along with childlike joy. Rúnar has been meditating and following the ideals of Sri Chinmoy since 2003 and is very fascinated by him, but first got the idea to open Joylato while participating in the Sri Chinmoy Oneness-Home Peace Run in Australia in 2009. The idea evolved over the years and according to Rúnar, much of his inspiration comes through meditation. “The ideas just come to me when I meditate.” Rúnar also runs health store Mamma veit best (Mom knows best), health is something he has been interested in for a long time. “This has nothing to do with life expectancy, it’s about feeling better and aging better. Being able to do sports longer and better. To think better, have a better life. The ice cream that we serve is just food, healthy food with no additives and nothing bad for you.”

Meditation and healthy living go hand in hand

“If you meditate, healthy living follows. Weather it is the external and internal. As soon as you look inside, you see what is good for you. It‘s common for people who start meditating to eat healthier to feel better. When you are conscious of yourself, you don‘t want to put anything in your body that make you any less conscious.” Despite the amount of work and expensive ingredients, the price of the ice cream at Joylato is very reasonable. “This isn‘t something you get rich doing, but I like it. I don‘t want the ice cream to be very expensive, even though the raw materials and the liquid nitrogen aren‘t cheap. I just work harder myself. It‘s fun, and it‘s a part of my spiritual life.”

The breakthrough technology adopted for the new Vello Bike from Austria allows the battery to recharge on the energy generated while cycling, so you don’t need to dismantle it at the end of your ride and you will not run out of battery power. This is the first -bike worldwide that has this feature of permanent battery recuperation and with a weight of under 12 kg also the lightest.

The energy with this new system is harvested as before by braking and pedaling, just that it now also converts mechanical energy into electrical energy thanks to the Integrated Kinetic Energy Recovery System (KERS). In that way, additional energy is released to recharge the light integrated lithium-ion battery. Through this new technology, VELLO BIKE+ all-in-one changes the motor map automatically and continuously in order to keep the battery charged. The motor assistance and the cutoff speed both depend on the battery charge, the input from the pedals (speed-torque) and the road slope. Choose from different assistance levels to get the extra push you need with the 250W motor. It is electrically-assisted when you want it to be. Unlike most electric bikes, it is still easy to pedal even with the power assistance turned off.

You can ride up to 15 miles per hour (25 km/hour) for unlimited mileage in “self-charging mode”, or in “turbo mode” up to 18-30 miles (30-50 km) on a full charge without any effort. As soon as you stop pedaling, the motor will stop pushing. The generated power depends on several factors including the bike speed, the pedaling speed, the road slope and the selected power mode.

These are not all the features of this revolutionary new foldable e-bike: there is a new gear adopted to the system, a new suspension system, availability with a titanium or carbon frame and much more. The Vello Bike is not yet on the market, but you can order it on this Kickstarter page and pledge the required model; a lot of features are less expensive than later or even free. The compaign only goes for another 4 days, so you have to be quick. Until now 188 people are backing the project, totaling a pledge sum of over 300’000 €. Delivery is planned for April 2017.

Recently a huge new Meditation Center has been inaugurated in the Czech town of Zlin. Included are rooms for lectures, a Madal Bal Shop, a Gallery with Sri Chinmoy’s artwork and a vegetarian restaurant called “Pranaya”. The building and shops belong to Czech students of Sri Chinmoy. Photos by Ashish Zubaty.

The Gorizia-based company Biolab, specialized in plant-based organic products, in cooperation with Eventgreen, is organizing the fourth edition of the Festival Vegetarino (Vegetarian Festival) in Gorizia from 31 August to 01 September 2013. Ample space will be dedicated to green living and working. and well-known Italian speakers will be featured. Meetings will take place as well as cooking classes, children’s’ workshops, exhibitions and – of course – vegetarian food will be offered. Massimo Santinelli founded Biolab 22 years ago, when vegetarians were hard to find. The number of people following a plant-based lifestyle has since then been constantly on the rise. According to the Eurispes Report 2012, 1.1% of Italians are now vegans and 4.9% are vegetarians. Since more and more people asked questions, gathered information and were looking for different possibilities for their daily choices, Mr. Santinelli launched the first vegetarian festival in 2010. Two points were clear right from the start: the vegetarian route is chosen for a variety of reasons – for ethics and health, the environment and for animal welfare – and is a broader choice than food and, therefore, the offer also must include more than food. The festival should appeal not only to vegetarians but be attractive for everyone. This is why the festival offers a full cultural programme.

The festival has constantly been developing and has evolved into one of the most important of its kind. The first edition was seen rather as a “test”, which confirmed that the vegetarian approach is shared by many people, and it was able to raise further interest. Public response has led to enriching the festival with meetings, courses and workshops. In 2011, 10,000 people came to visit the festival. In 2012, it was expanded from one to three days, moved from the industrial area to the historic centre of the city and saw 25,000 visitors. (Picture: Festival Vegetarino 2012)

Since the opening of the new vegan Restaurant AMAZING STRENGTH at the Müllerstrasse in Zurich (not far from the main station) I was fascinated and attracted by the enterprise owned by the Soyana company, a very dynamic production place for organic tofu and related products. It all started with a Vegelateria, the first Swiss ice cream shop serving ice cream with natural and organic ingredients, not using milk products and white sugar, end of of January of this year. In the meantime the next step could be reached in offering 25 seats in the restaurant adjunct to the Vegelateria. And yesterday the third in a series of exhibitions and events opened: color panels with quotes by Sri Chinmoy on happiness.

A.W. Dänzer at the opening of the “Happiness” Exhibition in Zurich

The book in connection with the exhibition is called “The Jewels of Happiness”. Author, creative artist and renowned peace visionary Sri Chinmoy offers timeless wisdom and simple exercises for readers of all backgrounds. The complete audio book was released on March 12th with a launch on March 19th in New York City. Luminaries from all walks of life reach read a chapter from The Jewels of Happiness – including Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Addwitiya Roberta Flack, Narada Michael Walden and Sudhahota Carl Lewis! Perfectly suited to our fast-paced lifestyles, The Jewels of Happiness includes short, insightful sections full of uplifting wisdom, charming aphorisms and easy to learn exercises. Each section stands on its own-with the entire book forming a tapestry of inspiration. “You can have the most joy just by imagining a child infinitely more beautiful than any child that you have seen in this world,” writes Sri Chinmoy. “You have inside you a child who is infinitely more beautiful. Just imagine it. While imagining it, you will get utmost joy.” Each of the 13 chapters in The Jewels of Happiness is on a different theme, such as peace, joy, patience, enthusiasm, sincerity, love, self-giving, humility, compassion, self-trascendence, simplicity and forgiveness.

At the opening of the exhibition there was also a screening of the film “happy” by Roko Belic. The movie takes us on a journey from the swamps of Louisiana to the slums of Kolkata in search of what really makes people happy. Combining real life stories of people from around the world and powerful interviews with the leading scientists in happiness research, the film explores the secrets behind our most valued emotion.

Viewers’ Comments: “Happy is one of those movies that will make you a better person for having seen it! An excellent, thought provoking movie that will grab your attention and your heart. This should be required viewing for everyone… There is a well done piece also about what doesn’t make kid’s happy. A great movie that will warm your heart, stir your soul and hopefully make you think about a practical application in your own life.”

“Important movie for the young. This is a movie where the subject matter is far more important than the quality of the movie itself (which is good). Had I received messages like this when I was young, I am sure I would have made fewer mistakes. Young persons understand that happiness is a life goal but they are often confused among conflicting messages on how to get there. By illustrating those who have achieved happiness as well as those who have not, the movie could potentially be very useful in helping young people make responsible and fulfilling life choices. So hopefully this little movie will be recognized as a motivational tool for the young and used in our classrooms and in other venues where teens might be receptive to its message.”

“Amazing. This film will make you happy! What an amazing feeling I had after watching this film. Film may not be the correct term in describing this passion project of genius, Roko Belic… I think the word experience is apt. Funded and executive produced by comedy directing legend Tom Shadyac (Ace Ventura, Evan Almighty), Mr. Belic takes us around the globe in a search for what it means to be happy…and we find it! It is hard to put into words what he has accomplished in this riveting and eye-opening documentary, but we see and feel that true happiness is pretty easy to attain. Do yourself and your loved ones a favor.”

The exhibition will be on display at Müllerstrasse 64 in Zurich until October 17th 2013 and is available daily during the opening hour of the restaurant from 11 am to 9 pm from Monday through Saturday. Check it out and don’t forget to taste the “best ice cream of Switzerland” as many say…

The 2012 Spiritual Planetary Summit (December 18-23) in Yucatan, Mexico, is the celebration of the closure of the Long Mayan Count, and with this, the end of a cycle where the learning was held by the means of fear and its effects: sorrow, disease and death. It is the end of a long learning of humanity’s soul. It is the celebration of the beginning of a New Planetary Time, where the learning through love shall emerge, and with this, freedom, plenitude, regeneration and life. During the Winter Solstice of 2012, key date of Mayan Wisdom, where the perfect galactic alignment projected powerful rays of christic golden light, transforming rays that penetrate the Planet Earth in order to elevate its vibrational frequency and impulse this humanity and the whole planet into a New Spiral in Time/Space.

The organizers are motivated to generate an authentic spiritual space, where different lines, traditions, schools or leaders of diverse spiritual sides of the world will converge. All within a respectful, loving and integrative coexistence. They wish to contribute with the creation of a more harmonic world, with the instauration of a culture of peace that allows us all to experience the joy of living. We are driven by the creation of a New Humanity, in a better connection with its spiritual essence; in order to inaugurate a New Planetary Time, the Golden Ages.The Spiritual Planetary Summit has the mission of generating an encounter of soaring Spiritual Level in order to generate a vortex of authentic light able to expand the transforming energy of the New Planetary Times. The purpose is of shaping an event of marvelous ecumenical and universal spirituality, on the sacred space where Ancient Maya, in the predestined times to open the gates into a New Age, the Golden Time of Humanity.

In the Spiritual Planetary Summit, a great energy which does emerge a powerful vibrational field where all the participants were to be connected with their divine essence and be capable of absorbing the waves of galactic shines that are currently reaching the Earth. And thereby, we all together achieve to generate a sacred space where the divine light can be present and, from this center, expand it towards every corner of the Earth. The 21st December Ceremony to be held in Uxmal, Yucatan will be performed during the winter solstice with the purpose of being in a mystic synchronization with the mighty galactic rays that enter primarily through the pyramid of AK-HE-NAH-TÚN: spot of maximum injection of galactic energy for Planet Earth. The objectives of the Conference are:

* Setting up the codes of the New Time.
* Creating a powerful space of genuine transformation.
* Bringing the spiritual values to maintain a Consciousness of Unity.

And finally elevating the spiritual consciousness of humanity in order for every human being to be tuned in with its self-Divine Essence and to experience life with harmony, happiness, sake and peace. Within a new respectful peaceful coexistence. This, without any doubt, would take human experience into an upper sphere of existence, where LIFE is a sublime space of harmonic creation and recreation. More info and registration: 2012spiritualplanetarysummit.com.

Of the many systems working within the human body, the immune system is an excellent example of complex efficiency. A network of participating cells and organs, it synchronizes its responses when defending the body from infection and disease. In its element, it has the capacity to remember diseases it has encountered and produce secretions and cells that can effectively defend the body from another recurrence. Moreover, it has an advanced communication system that can trigger an immediate response to an emergency and act according to the severity of the infection. Activated immune cells start producing substances that allow it to recruit other immune cells and guide it to the site of attack while at the same time allowing it to control behavior and growth. However, when the system malfunctions by causing an inappropriate response to substances or cells that are native to the body, it causes autoimmune diseases that will require the intervention of medication that will suppress the system’s response. What causes the system to malfunction, however, is still unclear. It is believed that exposure to some drugs or bacteria by people with susceptible genes cause this phenomenon. When totally compromised the body is left defenseless, thus leaving it vulnerable to disease.

The body’s defense system is only as dependable as the support it gets. Some people are just blessed with a good set of genes that ensure a strong immune system. For others who are not as lucky, they must work for immunity by observing proper nutrition, sufficient rest, a healthy active lifestyle, plenty of sun and reduced stress. Recent studies have shown that getting enough of these while cutting down on unhealthy habits and avoiding processed foods restores the immune system to peak performance. Observing proper sanitation also plays a vital role in keeping the immune system working. It is recognized as the best preventive medicine and its actual practice can reduce outbreaks and diseases, translating to significant economic, environmental as well as social benefits. Antibiotics and vaccination as remedies to assist the body’s defenses against disease have now been debunked by recent findings. Of late, antibiotics have been shown to attack beneficial bacteria in the stomach and suppress immune functions.

Foods that boost the body’s immune system can offer a lot of healthy options for those who wish to be more conscious in what they take in. To be sustained, the immune system heavily depends on the stomach for support. Malnourished individuals are more susceptible to disease as opposed to those who observe a healthy nutritious diet. Below are some of these examples:

1. Echinacea – Echinacea is a popular herb that has been identified to boost immunity. Combined with goldenseal, another herb, or enjoyed alone as tea, this member of the daisy family has been found to prevent and treat upper respiratory tract infections as well as the common cold.

2. Ginseng – This herb has many varieties. The most commonly studied variety is Panax ginseng, also known as Korean ginseng. Its main active component, ginsenosides, has been proven to have anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer properties. Clinical research studies have demonstrated that it may improve immune and psychological functions as well as conditions related to diabetes.

3. Garlic – This spice has had a long history of medicinal value. In a recent study conducted by Dr. Ellen Tattelman, an assistant professor at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University, New York, it was reconfirmed that garlic indeed has cardiovascular, anti-microbial and antineoplastic properties. It’s also a perfect spice to use when doing sauteed dishes.

4. Bell peppers– This pepper variety does not contain capsaicin, unlike its other feisty cousins. On the contrary, it is sweet and crunchy and contains the carotenoid lycopene which lowers the risk of cancer; beta-carotene which is converted to vitamin A; and Zeaxanthin, known to prevent macular degeneration and cataracts.

5. Ginger – This herb has been shown to reduce inflammation, cardiovascular conditions, blood clots and cholesterol. In a study, researchers found that animal subjects given ginger extracts had a significant reduction in cholesterol and blood clotting qualities. Moreover, it has been observed to inhibit the behavior of genes connected with inflammation.

6. Turmeric– This spice contains curcumin, which has notable antioxidant properties. It also has antibacterial, anti-inflammatory and stomach soothing benefits. It reduces inflammation by stimulating the adrenal glands to increase the hormone that lessens inflammation. Animal studies on this herb have revealed that turmeric protects the liver from the adverse effects of alcohol and certain toxins. Turmeric also helps in digestive problems by stimulating bile flow.

7. Gingko Biloba– Gingko biloba’s leaves contain antioxidant compounds called bilobalides and ginkgolides that protect the body from damage caused by free radicals. Moreover, it has also been found to protect against radiation. In a study using animal subjects, ginkgo was demonstrated to have protected the test subjects against radiation poisoning. The latest research also suggests that extracts of this herb can neutralize oxidizing agents and free radicals caused in the cells due to radiation, thus preventing cell death. In fact, NaturalNews recently reported that ginkgo extracts reduce brain damage by up to 50 percent.

8. Ganoderma– This is a bitter mushroom also known as reishi. It has long been a popular herb in Chinese medicine attributed to assisting in longevity and health. Further studies on this oriental herb reveal that it strengthens immunity and combats cancer. Moreover, it has antioxidant properties and provides relief from urinary tract infections.

9. Astralagus – Also from China, this herb stimulates the immune system and aids in digestion and adrenal gland functions. It is also a diuretic. The effectiveness of this herb is due to polysaccharides, saponins and flavonoids. It has also been taken to combat the common cold and flu. Its digestive health benefits demonstrate the lowering of stomach acidity, resulting to an increase in the body’s metabolic rates and the promotion of waste elimination.

10. Cat’s claw – This herb from Peru is commonly used for stomach problems. Recently, however, it is becoming known as an exceptional immune response stimulator that helps the body to fight off infections and degenerative diseases. It contains oxindole alkaloids enhancing the immune system’s capacity to engulf and destroy pathogens.

From a practical perspective, taking in food which boosts the immune system while enjoying it at the same time can be a cost effective way to maintain health. Coupled with a healthy lifestyle, sufficient rest and a positive outlook in life, staying healthy does not have to cost an arm and a leg.

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In the series "Meditation-Silence" you can enter the realm of meditation with short quotations and meditation videos with spiritual master Sri Chinmoy. 20 episodes were published on
srichinmoy.tv and you are welcome to watch or download them.